Former Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jerry Tillery has signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in NFL free agency.
March 14 began with two Kansas City Chiefs reunions on the offensive side — reserve quarterback Bailey Zappe and veteran running back Kareem Hunt. Later in the afternoon, KC traded an addition and a departure on the defensive side.
Beginning with the former, FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported (per his sources) that “the Chiefs are signing former [Los Angeles] Chargers 1st-round DT Jerry Tillery to a 1-year deal.”
Schultz went on to describe Tillery as a “good depth add to the Kansas City D-Line,” listing 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles over 50 career starts.
Along with the Chargers (three and a half seasons), Tillery also spent one and a half years with the rival Las Vegas Raiders, so the Chiefs have plenty of experience lining up against the ex-first-round talent. Tillery spent the 2024 campaign with the Minnesota Vikings.
Exiting Kansas City is veteran cornerback Keith Taylor, who was not tendered by the Chiefs on March 12.
According to ESPN beat reporter Marc Raimondi, Taylor signed with the Atlanta Falcons on March 14.
Chiefs Bet on Size & Talent Once Again, Taking Flier on Ex-Chargers & Raiders DT Jerry Tillery
Tillery (age 28) is a very typical Brett Veach signing. The Chiefs general manager loves betting on size and talent, picking up several former first-round busts over the years.
Bust might be too strong of a word for Tillery, considering he’s held a job since his draft year in 2019, but the former 28th overall selection clearly failed to live up to expectations.
At 6-foot-6, Tillery can stand eye-to-eye with KC superstar Chris Jones, so this is a large human being that we’re talking about. He profiles as a stronger pass rusher than run defender, but as Schultz noted, Tillery has only registered 12.5 career sacks despite 141 career quarterback pressures on Pro Football Focus.
Of those 141 pressures, 97 were considered quarterback hurries with another 30 QB hits, so Tillery appears to have some trouble getting home.
Although Tillery’s tackling and run defense were both major areas of weakness in his earlier years, he seems to have improved on each one with experience. The defensive lineman cut his missed tackle rate down from percentages as high at 18.2% and 24.0% to just 9.7% and 10.0% in 2023 and 2024.
His PFF grades for run defense have followed a similar trend, with his best marks coming in 2023 with the Raiders.
In terms of positioning, Tillery typically lines up in the B-Gap or over the OT along with some experience at defensive end — similar to Jones. He’s been utilized in the A-Gap (nose/one-tech D-tackle) the least throughout his career.
Tillery helps bolster a barren interior DL room for KC, but there is still more work to be done.
Ex-Chiefs CB Keith Taylor Lands With Falcons
It’s not surprising to see Taylor sign elsewhere after the restricted free agent was not tendered by Kansas City. Theoretically, he could have returned to the Chiefs at a vet minimum salary, but it appears the cornerback found a better offer upon testing the market.
The 26-year-old Taylor is a former fifth-round selection of the Carolina Panthers. He spent two seasons with the NFC South franchise before being released following 2023 training camp.
From there, he signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad and spent his first year in KC learning the system.
In 2024, Taylor finally got some action in Kansas City, suiting up for 11 games as a special teamer and rotational defensive back. He logged 132 snaps on special teams according to Pro Football Reference, with another 79 snaps on defense.
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL and NHL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus include the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, as well as the New York Rangers and New York Islanders. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include FanDuel’s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller
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